Jentia enters the prison lobby with her are a group of seven other Mercykillers. As the doors open before them the wind that blows in from the night outside makes the torches flicker and the shadows they cast dance flutter on the walls. Around one arm she has rag tied, its stained a dirty brown colour with dried blood. Those with her are all similarly blooded in one way or another, although they have no doubt heard of the recapture and execution of Kaori Suzume. As the group disperse and make their way to whatever wing of the prison they are stationed or, wherever they need to go to receive treatment for their injuries Jentia makes her way over to Julius as he files his report.
“All in all a bad day at the office. I heard only you stopped it from being an unmitigated disaster. How many did we lose in the end?”
Aftermath
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*Selebius
- Posts: 1073
- Joined: Thu Jan 01, 1970 12:00 am
"I lost fifteen of the squad. Only officer Carl and I made it. How many were killed when they freed the decoy I cannot say... nor can I say how many Hivers lost their lives. They were used, Snyden, used to satisfy the vanity of one sore loser at a moment when their sacrifice could not change anything anymore. Justice had been done already."
Julius looks up, weary and tired, heavy bags under his eyes, his ded blond hair that is usually kept tidy and well groomed, still clotted with blood and mud.
"A high price to pay. And both the Hivers and the Mercykillers are shouting for revenge.
Of course this is what the Anarchists want. They talk of freedom and good but only mean their own freedom and well being. Noone cares about the Hivers.
Looking back perhaps I should have chosen a more violent approach... burning the inn down, killing all the cowardly, self serving scum hiding between truly desperate people."
Returning to his work the Paladin finishes what seems to be a letter, sealing it with red wax and his personal seal- the snarling wolf's head.
"Thirteen more. This is all that remains from those brave officers. Letters and tears. But justice has been served- even if I do not like the price we payed."
Taking a fresh sheet of paper he dips his quill into the ink.
"So what now.. what shall we do?"
Julius looks up, weary and tired, heavy bags under his eyes, his ded blond hair that is usually kept tidy and well groomed, still clotted with blood and mud.
"A high price to pay. And both the Hivers and the Mercykillers are shouting for revenge.
Of course this is what the Anarchists want. They talk of freedom and good but only mean their own freedom and well being. Noone cares about the Hivers.
Looking back perhaps I should have chosen a more violent approach... burning the inn down, killing all the cowardly, self serving scum hiding between truly desperate people."
Returning to his work the Paladin finishes what seems to be a letter, sealing it with red wax and his personal seal- the snarling wolf's head.
"Thirteen more. This is all that remains from those brave officers. Letters and tears. But justice has been served- even if I do not like the price we payed."
Taking a fresh sheet of paper he dips his quill into the ink.
"So what now.. what shall we do?"
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*Midnight
- Posts: 870
- Joined: Thu Jan 01, 1970 12:00 am
What shall we do?
She lurches forward and grabs his chin, she turns his head to look her in the eye. Deep green hazel eyes stare into ice blue.
We will uphold Justice before all else, purging the multiverse of those who break the law.
In all situations We shall weigh the rights and wrongs with a clear and impartial mind.
We shall decide where Justice must fall under the law, and we will mete out that Justice with a firm and unyielding hand.
We believe in the righteousness of my faction: we alone answer to the higher law of Justice.
We will not pass judgment on good or evil, only on law-abiding and law-breaking, for therein lies wrongdoing
We will punish the guilty as the crime demands.
We will be diligent in my pursuit of the guilty, and while so engaged we will remain innocent of any wrongdoing in the eyes of others.
We will never release a lawbreaker until his sentence has been carried out.
That is what we will do namer, those are the tennants of justice. Do you have anymore to ask.
She relaises Julius from her grasp
Nothing changes namer, nothing at all.
She lurches forward and grabs his chin, she turns his head to look her in the eye. Deep green hazel eyes stare into ice blue.
We will uphold Justice before all else, purging the multiverse of those who break the law.
In all situations We shall weigh the rights and wrongs with a clear and impartial mind.
We shall decide where Justice must fall under the law, and we will mete out that Justice with a firm and unyielding hand.
We believe in the righteousness of my faction: we alone answer to the higher law of Justice.
We will not pass judgment on good or evil, only on law-abiding and law-breaking, for therein lies wrongdoing
We will punish the guilty as the crime demands.
We will be diligent in my pursuit of the guilty, and while so engaged we will remain innocent of any wrongdoing in the eyes of others.
We will never release a lawbreaker until his sentence has been carried out.
That is what we will do namer, those are the tennants of justice. Do you have anymore to ask.
She relaises Julius from her grasp
Nothing changes namer, nothing at all.
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*kitteninablender
- Posts: 47
- Joined: Thu Jan 01, 1970 12:00 am
Inside of the Anarch base the normally Chaotic Rith sits alone in the dark, meditating, his eyes aglow with righteous fury and his heart heavy with the loss of his ally.
The only light in the room the ambiance from the candles that burn upon the candelabras, dancing upon the walls with the flicker of the flames. He lifts a goblet of wine to his lips, drinking heavily, using it to drown out the lingering voice within his head.
The lingering voice of, perhaps, one of the most evil men to ever set foot within Sigil.
He was a murderer, a lecher, he who damned souls to the deepest depths of the Hells. A tempter, seducer, and a charlatan with a heart as black as night and a soul that was an incarnation of corruption and malice itself.
Some called this Entity Davoren Hellsheart..
But Rith....Rith just called him "Dad."
"Do you see now, Boy? Do you see what happens when you refuse to spill blood? You spared that Mercykiller, Julius, out of your self- righteous moral obligations. You swore not to spill blood...and because of that promise blood was spilled. The death of Kaori, and your brothers, their blood is on your hands just as much as if you had slit her throat yourself..."
Trembling, and slightly afraid, Rith clutched the goblet of wine to his mouth, trying to drown him out. This, this was the reason that Rith Fiddir was drunk all the time. Not because of his gluttonous nature. Not because of his addiction. But because the alcohol was the ONLY thing that could keep HIM at bay.
"If anything that I have said is not true, Boy, then tell me to be silent. But you won't. Because you can't. Because you know that I speak the truth. The multiverse, young Rith, is a harsh, cruel, and brutally UNFAIR place. Those with power use that power to corrupt and crush those too weak to protect themselves from it. I know. I've done it. I have delivered countless souls to the Pit for my old Master, Asmodeus, and ruined countless lives because of it. But you want to know something, boy?"
Rith clenched his fist, drinking down more of the demon wine, a single tear streaming down his face.
"...I survived. For over a thousand years. And you will too. Because no son of MINE is going to be WEAK. No son of MINE is going to sit by and let this travesty stand. Yes, I have done horrible, unspeakable things...things that I regret each and every moment of this Hellish existence...but there is something you fail to realize, my son."
Taking one final sip of the wine, Rith sets the Goblet down upon the floor, it's contents now empty.
"And what is that, old man?" He finally lets out after a long moment.
"...that I love you. I LOVE you son. I always have. And I want the best for you, to see your true potential, to rise above weakness and cowardice, to cast aside this life of whoring, and greed, and inebriation, and self-loathing. Your mother, Rith, was the one good thing that ever happened to me. The one woman I ever truly loved. And she gave me you...".
the young Changeling sniffled for a moment, remembering the kind woman that had been taken from him far too early.
"And this is why I'm going to do for you something that I should have done a long long time ago. I'm going to bestow upon you more than my knowledge..."
Rith's eyes went wide. His heart began to beat faster, and faster, until finally his eyes glazed over a crimson red.
"You won't take me, you won't make me kill!" screamed the Changeling.
"You don't have much of a choice boy. Tell me...did that wine taste at all funny to you?"
Rith's eyes went wide, and his jaw hit the floor.
"You....you didn't!?"
"I did, while you last slept. It took every ounce of my strength to burrow my way out of your subconscious, but I did. I took over your body....and I poisoned your wine. Don't worry. It's not lethal. Just something to lull you to sleep....to wither away your will...."
"N...no...no!! the Changeling screamed as he stumbled, falling upon his back, his breathing growing shallower and shallower.
In a few more moments the Changeling lie there, unconscious, the weight of a drug-induced sleep upon him. Several minutes passed as he slipped deeper, and deeper, into the dream state.
Until suddenly his eyes snapped awake, and he stood. Cleaning the dirt from upon his clothes the Changeling gazed into the mirror before him before his form began to shift.
He grew easily a foot in height. His muscles became well-rippled, his skin ashen white, a Fiery beard emerging from his face. His eyes glazed over with pure fire.
The form of his Father.
"Don't worry, Rithy Boy....I'm just borrowing the Wagon for a little while. I'll give it back, eventually. I'm just taking her for a Drive...
And for a moment much Maniacal Laughter echoed through the halls of the Anarch hideout.
"But for now...." said Davoren, a flicker of Fire dancing upon his fingertips, a dark power from deep within him, a power that came from a millenia of corruption. The power that came from the cost of a soul.
"For now, there is work to do....."
The only light in the room the ambiance from the candles that burn upon the candelabras, dancing upon the walls with the flicker of the flames. He lifts a goblet of wine to his lips, drinking heavily, using it to drown out the lingering voice within his head.
The lingering voice of, perhaps, one of the most evil men to ever set foot within Sigil.
He was a murderer, a lecher, he who damned souls to the deepest depths of the Hells. A tempter, seducer, and a charlatan with a heart as black as night and a soul that was an incarnation of corruption and malice itself.
Some called this Entity Davoren Hellsheart..
But Rith....Rith just called him "Dad."
"Do you see now, Boy? Do you see what happens when you refuse to spill blood? You spared that Mercykiller, Julius, out of your self- righteous moral obligations. You swore not to spill blood...and because of that promise blood was spilled. The death of Kaori, and your brothers, their blood is on your hands just as much as if you had slit her throat yourself..."
Trembling, and slightly afraid, Rith clutched the goblet of wine to his mouth, trying to drown him out. This, this was the reason that Rith Fiddir was drunk all the time. Not because of his gluttonous nature. Not because of his addiction. But because the alcohol was the ONLY thing that could keep HIM at bay.
"If anything that I have said is not true, Boy, then tell me to be silent. But you won't. Because you can't. Because you know that I speak the truth. The multiverse, young Rith, is a harsh, cruel, and brutally UNFAIR place. Those with power use that power to corrupt and crush those too weak to protect themselves from it. I know. I've done it. I have delivered countless souls to the Pit for my old Master, Asmodeus, and ruined countless lives because of it. But you want to know something, boy?"
Rith clenched his fist, drinking down more of the demon wine, a single tear streaming down his face.
"...I survived. For over a thousand years. And you will too. Because no son of MINE is going to be WEAK. No son of MINE is going to sit by and let this travesty stand. Yes, I have done horrible, unspeakable things...things that I regret each and every moment of this Hellish existence...but there is something you fail to realize, my son."
Taking one final sip of the wine, Rith sets the Goblet down upon the floor, it's contents now empty.
"And what is that, old man?" He finally lets out after a long moment.
"...that I love you. I LOVE you son. I always have. And I want the best for you, to see your true potential, to rise above weakness and cowardice, to cast aside this life of whoring, and greed, and inebriation, and self-loathing. Your mother, Rith, was the one good thing that ever happened to me. The one woman I ever truly loved. And she gave me you...".
the young Changeling sniffled for a moment, remembering the kind woman that had been taken from him far too early.
"And this is why I'm going to do for you something that I should have done a long long time ago. I'm going to bestow upon you more than my knowledge..."
Rith's eyes went wide. His heart began to beat faster, and faster, until finally his eyes glazed over a crimson red.
"You won't take me, you won't make me kill!" screamed the Changeling.
"You don't have much of a choice boy. Tell me...did that wine taste at all funny to you?"
Rith's eyes went wide, and his jaw hit the floor.
"You....you didn't!?"
"I did, while you last slept. It took every ounce of my strength to burrow my way out of your subconscious, but I did. I took over your body....and I poisoned your wine. Don't worry. It's not lethal. Just something to lull you to sleep....to wither away your will...."
"N...no...no!! the Changeling screamed as he stumbled, falling upon his back, his breathing growing shallower and shallower.
In a few more moments the Changeling lie there, unconscious, the weight of a drug-induced sleep upon him. Several minutes passed as he slipped deeper, and deeper, into the dream state.
Until suddenly his eyes snapped awake, and he stood. Cleaning the dirt from upon his clothes the Changeling gazed into the mirror before him before his form began to shift.
He grew easily a foot in height. His muscles became well-rippled, his skin ashen white, a Fiery beard emerging from his face. His eyes glazed over with pure fire.
The form of his Father.
"Don't worry, Rithy Boy....I'm just borrowing the Wagon for a little while. I'll give it back, eventually. I'm just taking her for a Drive...
And for a moment much Maniacal Laughter echoed through the halls of the Anarch hideout.
"But for now...." said Davoren, a flicker of Fire dancing upon his fingertips, a dark power from deep within him, a power that came from a millenia of corruption. The power that came from the cost of a soul.
"For now, there is work to do....."
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*Selebius
- Posts: 1073
- Joined: Thu Jan 01, 1970 12:00 am
He chuckles at her outburst, the chuckle soon turning into a hearty laugh.
"Well spoken, Factotum, very inspiering and such. But remember who you are talking to- I always serve justice, badge or not."
His voice lost some of the laugh's joyful warmth at the last few words his eyes no less hard then hers.
Putting down the quill he gets up, walks around the table, stretching, trying to fight the strain and tesion of his muscles. He still wears what he wore on the mission, dirty leathers, his staff leaning in a corner now.
"My question was meant in a rather pragmatic, practical way, Snyden.
How shall we proceed? A public relations campaign? Searching through what remains of the tunnels? Perhaps questioning staff from the inn and the infirmary?
One last thing- am I still on payed leave or am a reinstated?"
"Well spoken, Factotum, very inspiering and such. But remember who you are talking to- I always serve justice, badge or not."
His voice lost some of the laugh's joyful warmth at the last few words his eyes no less hard then hers.
Putting down the quill he gets up, walks around the table, stretching, trying to fight the strain and tesion of his muscles. He still wears what he wore on the mission, dirty leathers, his staff leaning in a corner now.
"My question was meant in a rather pragmatic, practical way, Snyden.
How shall we proceed? A public relations campaign? Searching through what remains of the tunnels? Perhaps questioning staff from the inn and the infirmary?
One last thing- am I still on payed leave or am a reinstated?"
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*Midnight
- Posts: 870
- Joined: Thu Jan 01, 1970 12:00 am
She takes a breath and considers the options her vitriol allowing her a release of the tension anger and adrenaline that has built up.
"A public relations campaign will never work we'll never be loved or accepted no matter how many murderers and thugs we keep off the streets. It might be advisable to change our approach though. We can begin questioning the staff of both the inn and the infirmary. I would like us to appeal to their common sense let them know how the Anarchs use them, how quickly they would sacrifice them for no real gain. I know there will be those amongst the sodkillers who will want to descend upon the hive with fire and steel. This won't work though those responsible will simply hide and we will end up slaughtering the gullible berks they hide amongst. I don't know about you but that's not why I joined the faction. We are hunting murderers, and let us not mince words that is what this was, not hivers. Murder is a crime and crime must be punished like I said nothing changes.
She looks Julius over
"As for your leave that was so you could take care of your own personal situation, if that is dealt with I see no reason why you shouldn't return to full duty."
"A public relations campaign will never work we'll never be loved or accepted no matter how many murderers and thugs we keep off the streets. It might be advisable to change our approach though. We can begin questioning the staff of both the inn and the infirmary. I would like us to appeal to their common sense let them know how the Anarchs use them, how quickly they would sacrifice them for no real gain. I know there will be those amongst the sodkillers who will want to descend upon the hive with fire and steel. This won't work though those responsible will simply hide and we will end up slaughtering the gullible berks they hide amongst. I don't know about you but that's not why I joined the faction. We are hunting murderers, and let us not mince words that is what this was, not hivers. Murder is a crime and crime must be punished like I said nothing changes.
She looks Julius over
"As for your leave that was so you could take care of your own personal situation, if that is dealt with I see no reason why you shouldn't return to full duty."
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*Selebius
- Posts: 1073
- Joined: Thu Jan 01, 1970 12:00 am
"Good. Please get the paperwork done then, it is annoying to have to beg for permission to just use a table."
Taps the table he is sitting at then he fills a cup with a reddish liquid from his waterskin.
"Want some, too?"
" Anyway", he goes on without really waiting for her answer, his social skills as underdeveloped as ever " perhaps you should coordinate with the Harmonium. They are allowed to search people, can get warrants so we can question them and so on. A Harmonium officer might also have a cooler head these days so might prevent us from doing something rash. You got connections anyway."
He starts to write the next letter, starting with the usual phrase: It is my painful duty to inform you...
Looking up again he smiles and this time it is a warm, calm smile- something usually reserved for those who are really close to him.
"Get a meal, get some sleep. I handle today's paperwork. Not much you can do here now anyway. Good you made it out alive, Jentia. You can be a royal pain in the ass but I would miss fighting with you."
Taps the table he is sitting at then he fills a cup with a reddish liquid from his waterskin.
"Want some, too?"
" Anyway", he goes on without really waiting for her answer, his social skills as underdeveloped as ever " perhaps you should coordinate with the Harmonium. They are allowed to search people, can get warrants so we can question them and so on. A Harmonium officer might also have a cooler head these days so might prevent us from doing something rash. You got connections anyway."
He starts to write the next letter, starting with the usual phrase: It is my painful duty to inform you...
Looking up again he smiles and this time it is a warm, calm smile- something usually reserved for those who are really close to him.
"Get a meal, get some sleep. I handle today's paperwork. Not much you can do here now anyway. Good you made it out alive, Jentia. You can be a royal pain in the ass but I would miss fighting with you."